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Interview with E.C. Myers on The Silence of Six

What is it like
working on a work-for-hire novel? Find out in my interview with Leaguer E.C. Myers - Lissa Price.

E.C., What should we
know about your newest book?

The Silence of Six is a contemporary YA thriller about
a group of teenage hackers who combine their skills to answer an intriguing
question: “What is the silence of six?” As they investigate, they dig deep into
a high level conspiracy that not only endangers the privacy of individuals, but
their lives. And they have to work quickly because they’re being pursued by
shady operatives online and in the real world, and the truth could affect the
outcome of the presidential election just a few weeks away.

You’re one of two
books published by a new publisher – Adaptive Studios. Tell us how they came to
find you and why you went with them instead of one of the known publishers.

Adaptive Studios is a newish company that adapts orphaned
works (such as an unproduced screenplay, in the case of The Silence of Six) into other properties, like television shows,
novels, and picture books. I was introduced to them by fellow YA author Tiffany
Schmidt, and on the strength of my first novel, Fair Coin, they offered me the opportunity to audition for the
project. They liked what I came up with, so we worked together on developing an
outline for the book; other than the title, the book bears little resemblance
to the source material, which I haven’t even seen! This was my first
work-for-hire novel, and I took it on because I loved the premise and thought I
could write something really fun and interesting about hacking, conspiracies,
and social media. I also liked the idea of having a new book out this year,
particularly one so different from my usual work. My first two books were both
published in 2012, and though I have some other manuscripts in the works,
nothing else is scheduled for publication. Adaptive has a really fresh take on
publishing, and it was great to participate in the collaborative process of
writing and marketing the book.

The cover is
especially haunting. Did you have any say in the design process?

Adaptive and their cover designer had several strong,
compelling ideas for the cover, any of which could have worked well. I was
surprised and pleased that they took my opinions into consideration throughout
the process, as well as feedback from my literary agency, which has experience
in designing and marketing their clients’ books. I thought it was important not
to show a face (particularly following on Fair
Coin and Quantum Coin), and I
didn’t want to see a character of a specific gender. What we ended up with was
one of the earliest concepts and I kept coming back to it because it was so
mysterious and chilling — to me, it represented anonymity, and the hood added a
Grim Reaper-esque element that seemed thematically appropriate. I especially
love the title treatment.

How has winning the
Andre Norton Award changed your career?

Not as much as you might think! I am incredibly honored to
have the award, and it may get me a little more attention from editors and
booksellers and librarians, but the Norton isn’t largely recognized outside of
the speculative fiction field. I’m also usually the last person to mention that
I won it, which I suppose makes me a poor self-marketer. When people do know
about the Norton, they are often impressed, which makes me feel great. I think
most of all it helps me with those moments when impostor syndrome hits — it
gives me some reassurance that I’m not terrible at this writing thing.

Whose career would
you most like to have?

That’s a dangerous road to go down. Of course it might be
nice to be a rock star with multiple book deals, movie options, and all that
jazz, but the only career I can have is my own. Money and fame are measures of
success, but the only appeal there is that they usually signal a wide
readership — which would be great because most of all I just want people to
read my books! (I would also love to keep publishing them, which requires some
level of financial success.) That said, if I ended up writing a few books that
people love, I’ll be happy. One of my favorite authors, William Sleator, wrote
a lot of terrific books that people still remember, although he didn’t seem to
garner a lot of attention or riches. Robert C. O’Brien only wrote three books
(one of those posthumously completed by his family), but they are amazing books. I want my books to
outlast me and affect young readers the way books affected me.

What has been the
biggest surprise for you in your publishing journey?

Boy, this is a lot of work, isn’t it? I was most surprised
by how much of writing involves doing things that isn’t writing: marketing, signings, events, etc. I’m also
constantly surprised at just how random and impersonal it all is; editors leave
publishers, books get cancelled, contracts fall through. Make no mistake:
Publishing is a business, and it’s hard to separate that from the “purity” of
writing as art — something we’re driven to do because we have to tell stories.
Talent is just part of the equation; you have to be in the right place at the
right time with the right book. The only thing we can control is the quality of
our writing, and we have to try not to worry about the rest.

If you could be
something else other than a book author, what would you be?

I’ve tried a bunch of other jobs, and this is the best one
so far! But all other things being equal, I would love to develop video games.

Anything else you’d
like the League readers to know?

One of the best parts of being an author is getting to
interact with readers and other writers, so I love participating in blogs like
this one. Thank you for your support! And thanks for the terrific interview,
Lissa.

The League of Extraordinary Writers is a group of debut YA authors who write science fiction and dystopian works. The ten of us have works that run the gamut of near-future mind control to far-future space travel, but they do have one thing in common: a future where the Earth we know now is twisted, gone.

The pacing is good for a thriller, and the characters are well drawn. It's a really nice standalone novel, and I think that it also brings up ethical issues related to surveillance and hacking without being too preachy.